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A review by bethanysimm110
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
4.0
Did you know that The Jungle Book is actually a short story collection? I was always confused as to why the Disney movie had such a peculiar name. When I learned of the book years later, it still rather perplexed me. Now it makes more sense, it's literally a collection of stories set in the jungle...it's genius!
As a child of my generation, know now that I will be comparing this review to the movie I grew up with. Yes, I understand the book came first. However the movie was first in my life, and if anything it helped me appreciate this book more.
The most glaring difference between these two mediums is in Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. In the movie we know Baloo as the fruit eating lazy bear looking for the "Bear Necessities" of life. Bagheera has a much stronger backbone and is constantly trying to push Mowgli to understand the reality of living in the jungle. It's quite the opposite in the book. Baloo is a strict teacher to Mowgli and even beats him when he does wrong. Bagheera mentions wanting to spoil the boy. Very different dynamic, but effective nonetheless. It was a fresh look at Mowgli's life in the jungle when read in the original story.
The biggest disappointment is by far the fact the King Louis didn't come from the book. We meet the monkeys, but King Louis does not join the fun, and surely doesn't start singing a song arguably more catchy than any song from Annie. What a shame. The song is stuck in my head just thinking about it...
Enough about the story we know and love, what about the other short stories? After reading Mowgli's tale, we move on to four other stories. One of these being the well-known Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, which I've already reviewed alone about a year ago. Who would have thought it was part of The Jungle Book? The other three I had never heard before, but only The White Seal stood out to me much out of the others. Not that the others were bad, Rudyard Kipling's writing is beautifully lyrical. They just didn't speak to me personally, but I could see others enjoying them immensely.
It's not the Disney movie, but for that reason I recommend this collection. It was a really fun read, delivered a nostalgic flavor, and was the perfect novel to break up some heavier reading.
As a child of my generation, know now that I will be comparing this review to the movie I grew up with. Yes, I understand the book came first. However the movie was first in my life, and if anything it helped me appreciate this book more.
The most glaring difference between these two mediums is in Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. In the movie we know Baloo as the fruit eating lazy bear looking for the "Bear Necessities" of life. Bagheera has a much stronger backbone and is constantly trying to push Mowgli to understand the reality of living in the jungle. It's quite the opposite in the book. Baloo is a strict teacher to Mowgli and even beats him when he does wrong. Bagheera mentions wanting to spoil the boy. Very different dynamic, but effective nonetheless. It was a fresh look at Mowgli's life in the jungle when read in the original story.
The biggest disappointment is by far the fact the King Louis didn't come from the book. We meet the monkeys, but King Louis does not join the fun, and surely doesn't start singing a song arguably more catchy than any song from Annie. What a shame. The song is stuck in my head just thinking about it...
Enough about the story we know and love, what about the other short stories? After reading Mowgli's tale, we move on to four other stories. One of these being the well-known Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, which I've already reviewed alone about a year ago. Who would have thought it was part of The Jungle Book? The other three I had never heard before, but only The White Seal stood out to me much out of the others. Not that the others were bad, Rudyard Kipling's writing is beautifully lyrical. They just didn't speak to me personally, but I could see others enjoying them immensely.
It's not the Disney movie, but for that reason I recommend this collection. It was a really fun read, delivered a nostalgic flavor, and was the perfect novel to break up some heavier reading.